Gamers, streamers and content creators across the world are participating in charity streaming, where they are using their time and talent to raise money for causes they are passionate about in partnership with their favorite nonprofit organizations — including Compassion.

While the phrase “a man after my own heart” has grown to be a common idiom, it originates in the Bible. Let’s take a look at what it means to be a person after God’s heart, like King David in the Bible, and what it can teach us about helping children living in poverty.

We often associate the phrase “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” with death. That’s because the phrase comes from the burial rites in the Book of Common Prayer. This collection of prayer books is used mostly in the Anglican church for communion, marriages and other Christian rites — including burial services and cremations. But a closer look at what “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” means actually reveals a hopeful message about life.

Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Christians believe that Jesus is both God and human. When we celebrate Easter, we give thanks that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, taking the punishment that we deserve and also defeating sin, Satan and death.

When crises such as war and natural disasters happen, it’s easy to feel helpless. We have no control over the situation. But there is something we can do: We can pray.

My whole world came to a halt the moment I read the news of Russia’s invasion of my homeland. I scrambled for my phone to contact friends and family in Kyiv and southwest Ukraine, praying that they were safe. Tears filled my eyes as I thought of my niece — the child I held in my arms when she was just a baby. A temporary sense of relief washed over me when I received word, one-by-one, that each person I know was safe — for now.

How and why people pray vary by church, culture and life circumstances. Prayer doesn’t need to be a formal, ritualized practice. It’s simply a conversation with God that we can strike up in any number of ways. Still, it’s interesting to considerthe many reasons, places and times people pray, and the wide variety of methods used. 

Prayer is an integral part of our programs and work. Here’s what the Bible says about prayer and why we believe prayer is so important.

We are constantly in awe of everything our staff members do to help release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. But we also know that some of the most important contributions to our mission come from people who will never be found on a Compassion staff list: the pastors of our frontline church partners.

Be inspired by these stories of pastors and their work on behalf of Compassion around the world.

Florence’s rescue center has saved more than 413 girls from female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage. The Kenyan schoolteacher’s lifelong crusade against FGM began with her own narrow escape as a child.

These pictures of kids with animals are cute, of course. But they also show how animals help people in poverty.

At Compassion, one of our highest goals is to help children grow to reach their full, God-given potential. Our frontline church partners across the world invest deeply in each individual, helping them discover their talents and use their skills to escape poverty, bless those around them and glorify God.